To think party food is tacky and tasteless?

[Fudgeycake]

Every Christmas the supermarkets really push all that sort of beige finger food (bung in the oven stuff) as if it's delicious and what everyone wants? M&S and Waitrose offerings this year look vile, eg. mini prawn toasts, feta popcorn, chicken doughnuts? Does anyone really love this food?

I think this type of food is really outdated, bit tacky, doesn't look very appealing and mostly pretty tasteless? Some of it is quite expensive too. I'd rather just do a cheese board and some nice breads, meats, chutneys, pickles etc. Aibu? What do you have for your Christmas buffet/party food?

I absolutely love beige party food!! For me, it’s very nostalgic so I guess it depends if you grew up with happy memories of beige party teas.

Allergies rules out most of the party food ranges here, I've been to a few things where it's been served recently. I can't say any of it blew me away. Due to allergies we tend to make our own of anything we fancy from that sort of range. I make bite size Brie and cranberry toasties and butternut squash, sage and Stilton parcels and prawn with chorizo as canapés recently, simple tasty and making them yourself, a fraction of the price (the ones in M&S were £7/£8 each!). But I do prefer them as a canapé rather than an entire meal. And please, never cold!

I guess a good Christmas Eve alternative for me would be a seafood platter.

But there's no judgement here! Anyone can eat anything they like, especially at Christmas.

What is a cheese open cob and a delicate English salad?

I love a buffet with all the types of food you've mentioned.

I am looking forward to eating some of the plant-based buffet food that the supermarkets are selling as they look so good!

Eaugh neugh, not baahge paahty faahd?

I’m spending Christmas alone this year so going to fill my fridge with all the bits of party food that I like (jalapeño poppers? Yum!) but can’t get at any other time of year and hammer my air fryer for a week. YANBU not to like it yourself, but it’s perfect for me

I prefer cheese too but I'm sure mum will have bought plenty

I’m with the OP on this. A consistently 3/10 food subgenre.

Some of it is nice and some of it is horrid. But I must admit if you are at a party with food and trying to line your stomach with canapes, a bit of stodge is rather appreciated (or is this just me and my bad planning re eating before parties!)

I really really want to know what is wrong with things being "tacky". It's such a Mumsnet thing that tacky = classless.

What the fuck is wrong with party food, however it comes? Are the general population so up their own arses that they couldn't bear to be thought of as tacky so would never serve a selection of sausage rolls?

As if first names were a class signifier enough, now folk will be judged on the contents of the party food they're generous enough to offer...

I absolutely love party food, and pretty much live on it whenever we're back in UK. But Waitrose or M&S only obviously, anything else is too lower class for me 🤣

@Bellaboo01 by open cobs, I mean with no lid, so half a cob with filling on top. With the salad, I meant a thin layer on a platter (I was trying to distinguish from a massive salad, where it is a large, deep bowl full.

Tou have clearly never had Lidl's cheese and ham croquettes as one of your party food nibbles.... around d here we could eat those all day every day!!!!

Like anything, it depends.what you like. I often buy the little prawn jobs as ds us mildly intolerant and cooking prawns I'd a faff qith him.whinging but me and ds love them. Cranberry and cheese puff... yeah, will give that a skip!

Agree. If you're talking about the friend stuff you heat up in the oven. My idea of party food is tiny sandwiches. I could eat my body weight in egg and cress sandwiches

It’s like restaurants/pubs at Christmas. You know the food is liable to be crap, but it’s more about the atmosphere and the people.🙂

Personally I could eat my weight in sesame prawn toast and tempura prawns/chicken - all with a bit of chilli jam and a Greek salad

When hosting I usually buy M&S fishy canapés, hot and cold, to have as a sort of starter, an hour or so before dinner.
IMO most of the M&S party food is perfectly nice, but I wouldn’t serve just that as a meal - just as nibbles or starters.

What the fuck are you eating?!

We have a selection with some bread and charcuterie. Considering going out for an Indian instead though this year.

OK, so the consensus seems to be thay people have these foods as snacks with drinks?

I don't drink, so maybe I don't understand the greasy carbs to mop up the booze concept. I've definitely been to Christmas parties before where there has been a selection of these kinds of foods as the main meal though. Sort of buffet style.

Completely agree op.

Cant stand the beige, tasteless food.

DH surprised me with partg food dinner tonight. Ate it in my jammies watching Indian Jones. It was great 😂

Where I'm from we have little beef sausages stewed in a sweet/spicy tomato sauce, Tortilla chips served with pork sausage cheese dip, olives and cheeses, potato chips with sour cream/onion dip, stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped jalapeños, sushi, and raw veggies no one touches lol. The more casual and homemade the better.

No one need worry about the sausage rolls, I’ve got it covered.

What did you have @Fern86?

What is "delicate English Salad"?

Onion rings, veg spring rolls, sweet potato fries and jalapeño poppers! 🤪